Britain's managers are a sad and desperate bunch who spend their holidays thinking about work. Nearly half of them go a step further and while on annual leave voluntarily give the office a call.

When they shake off the fear that without them everything is going wrong in the office they still find it hard to relax. More than four in 10 managers spend their holiday time dealing with outstanding paperwork and other chores such as visiting doctors or dentists. These are the findings of a survey by the Chartered Management Institute, which asked 1,300 managers their attitude to holidays.

The institute said the figures showed managers were sacrificing holiday time in favour of their careers.

Christine Hayhurst, a director at the institute, says: "Longer working days have resulted in managers using annual leave to catch up on the tasks they used to fit in before or after work. Despite the emphasis on flexible working, it seems employers are also becoming less accepting of staff taking time off work for routine appointments." Only half of junior managers, for instance, take their full holiday entitlement.

Psychologist Oliver James says the institute is swimming against the tide. "The fundamental force here is the Americanisation of the British workforce. When it comes to work you need to travel a long way to find a place as deranged as Britain and that place is America," he says.

Mr James, whose latest book, They F*** You Up: How to Survive Family Life, discusses the various tensions in domestic life, says managers are afflicted by a move from a collectivist culture to one that focuses on the individual. "Our identity is wrapped up in what we do. It is the job that is the source of our self esteem. What you do is crucial to what you have and that defines who you are. Consequently, you are defined by your job in a way that is still not true on the continent. A French or German manager will answer the question 'who are you' by saying they are a father, mother or brother or pillar of the community rather than just quoting their job title.

"You've got to remember that 40% of British people meet their partner at work. It goes to show the extent to which work has intruded on our lives."

He says one of the problems faced by managers is the flexibility that is supposed to be their saviour. He says they were protected to some degree by a nine to five regime, but the introduction of flexible working often results in managers working long and unsocial hours.

"To hang on to your job you must be prepared to multi-task and work long hours. Because there is flexibility, on paper at least, it looks like the workaholic culture is self induced, but if you don't join in you don't progress up the ladder."

The majority of managers have more than five weeks holiday each year. Those that take holidays are most likely to holiday in Europe. However, 41% of respondents say they will find a way to check their work emails wherever they are in the world.

The institute hopes to show employers that letting managers take a complete break from work recharges their batteries and makes them more productive when they return to the office. Managers believe they are doing the right thing by putting off chores until they can take holiday breaks and keeping in contact while they are away, says the institute, so employers must get the message across that careers remain on track while managers are on holiday.